1672. 'And the kings who were with him' means the apparent truth that goes with that good. This is clear from the meaning of 'kings' in the Word. Kings, kingdoms, and peoples in the historical and prophetical sections of the Word mean truths and the things that belong to truths, as may be confirmed from many places. In the Word a careful distinction is made between people and nation, 'people' meaning truths, 'nation' goods, as shown already in 1259, 1260. Kings have reference to peoples, and not so much to nations. The children of Israel, before they sought to have kings, were 'a nation' and represented good, or that which is celestial; but after they desired a king and received one, they became 'a people' and represented not good or that which is celestial, but truth or that which is spiritual, and this was the reason why this was ascribed to them as a fault in 1 Samuel 8:7-end. This, in the Lord's Divine mercy, will be explained elsewhere. In the present verse, since 'Chedorlaomer' is referred to, and then the phrase 'the kings who were with him' is added, both good and truth are meant - good by 'Chedorlaomer' and truth by 'the kings'. But what kind of good and truth it was when the Lord's temptations first began has been stated above.

1265. THOSE BEFORE THE FLOOD WHO PERISHED

At some height overhead many spirits were present who flowed into my thoughts and held them so to speak in bonds, so that I was very much in obscurity. They were pressing down on me quite strongly. The spirits around me were similarly held by them so to speak in bonds, and so were able to think little apart from that which flowed in from those overhead, and this was enough to make them angry. I was told that those overhead were people who had lived before the Flood, though they were not from those called Nephilim who perished, for their power of persuasion was not so strong as the latter's.